Retardant Suspected in Polluted Wells

Retardant Suspected in Polluted Wells

During New Mexico’s largest-ever wildfire — the 2022 Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon Fire, slurry bombers made nearly 2,500 retardant drops, primarily Phos-Chek, to combat the blaze. Phos-Chek is the bright red fire retardant featured on news reels to convey a visually...
Fire Management Team Implicated in ICE Raid

Fire Management Team Implicated in ICE Raid

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials interfered with an active wildland firefighting campaign and arrested two men working to contain the Bear Gulch Fire in Washington. As reported by Reuters, the Aug. 27 raid resulted in two firefighters being detained at an...
Caddo Lake — Wetland of International Importance

Caddo Lake — Wetland of International Importance

Forests cover much of the American South, but the region does not have an abundance of national forests. However, Caddo Lake in northeastern Texas boasts impressive bald cypress forests in its shallow, mysterious waters and is recognized as a wetland of international...
Agencies Miss Deadline for Firefighting Consolidation

Agencies Miss Deadline for Firefighting Consolidation

The Forest Service and other federal agencies have missed the deadline of Sept. 10, to implement President Donald J. Trump’s Executive Order (EO) 14308 mandating consolidation of federal firefighting into a single agency in the Department of Interior. Citing...
Agencies Miss Deadline for Firefighting Consolidation

Trump Orders Consolidation of Fire Agencies

Citing “the devastation of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires,” President Donald J. Trump issued Executive Order (EO) 14308 on June 12, 2025, mandating the consolidation of federal firefighting under a single agency. Trump’s EO echoes his “Big, Beautiful...